Half a World Away
by PartyPanda
Summary: Forget the happy-ever-after from season 7. After a few years away from his life as a consultant, Jane unexpectedly runs into someone from his law enforcement days. Has he changed enough to get a second chance, or has she changed too much? A casino, a crime and two lonely hearts still pining for each other.
1. Chapter 1

Half a World Away

 _This could be the saddest dusk I've ever seen_

 _Turn to a miracle - High alive_

 _My mind is racing, as it always will_

 _My hand is tired, my heart aches_

 _I'm half a world away._

R.E.M. – Half A World Away

Chapter 1

Jane eventually returned to the life he had known so well. He couldn't fight the pull any longer, even though he knew it was a suicidal-like action. So one night, he dressed up, shortly doubting whether the go for a three- or a two-piece suit. Deciding on the latter, he brushed his hair back with his hand and straightened the blue jacket covering his crisp white shirt. He stacked his inside pockets with cash and walked outside straight to the casino opposite to his current hotel without so much as blinking. Inside he seemed to relax even more by the sound of exited chatter, ringing bells, coins falling, beeps from the machines, the clicking of stacks of chips being placed. He took the liberty to walk around the casino for a while. He didn't feel guilty or stressed, as he had slightly expected. He felt good.

He ordered himself a scotch at the bar and leaned back to enjoy the view of people winning and losing around him. He almost got sentimental. Scotch in hand, he decided to walk over towards the side where they undoubtedly let the whales play undisturbed. He went to change his cash for chips and casually asked if he could get into a more serious game. The man in the bulletproof booth didn't seem too impressed.

"I'm sorry sir. We have a room reserved for no limit games, but the past week it has been booked full every night, so now we have to maintain a waiting schedule. Can I put your name on the list for later this week?" he rattled off the story.

"Sure" he said, a little taken aback by the unconventional fact that there apparently wasn't enough room for every big spender in town in this casino. "The name's James."

"That would be for Thursday, four days from now" the man informed him.

Jane raised his eyebrows. "Oh-kay" he said slowly. "Sir, can I ask why there are so many people interested in joining in these games?"

The man looked at him for the first time.

"Don't know" he said and looked past his shoulder to signal that this conversation was over.

Jane smiled and walked over, glancing over to the closed door that kept the secret of the hottest games in town, so to speak. Just for a second his old investigative side resurfaced, but he hid it back down quickly. He hadn't been investigating money launderers, drug lords or people traffickers in years and he didn't have a team to back him up. He was here to have fun. But still, going around, pushing coins into a machine wasn't the reason why he came here tonight and this secret had sidetracked his plans. So he decided to hang around for just a little bit longer, hoping to gather more information or find a way to get in tonight.

As he nursed his drink, a man slightly younger than him approached. By the looks of it, he was pretty wasted.

"Aahhh, a new guy..!" he slurred loudly.

Jane smiled friendly and a little awkwardly.

The man went to stand beside him and stared in front of him when he spoke up again.

"So you've heard of her and came to see her for yourself. God, news travels fast these days. Before long, every guy with some money hangs around here to catch a glimpse of her. They might scare her away even..!" he ended and seemed somewhat panicky, but quickly managed to comfort himself.

"Nah, she's not the type to be scared away. She can handle everything… Besides, I think the casino hired her to attract clients."

Jane listened to the man's story and tried to make out what he was talking about.

"So, you're saying there's a waiting list because of a woman playing poker in there?" he asked a little incredulous and confused.

"Not just any woman!" the guy responded indignantly. "No one knows who she is or what she does. She has the wisdom and calm confidence of someone who has seen it all, but the looks of a girl barely in her thirties…." He seemed lost in thoughts for a second, but shook himself out of his reverie. "It's hard to describe her precisely, I won't do her justice. You really have to see her for yourself to understand it, she's one of a kind."

Jane shortly thought back to the woman he knew years ago. "Trust me, I know the type" he said and tried not to sound bitter or sad.

"She's really not a _type_ " the guy responded. "Are you playing tonight? You'll see for yourself."

"No" Jane answered. "Apparently, I'm scheduled for Thursday."

The guy nodded. "Might be for the best too, better just stay away from her. She will clean you right out. She's done it to others too. She never takes _everything_ though. Could have, if she wanted to, but never does" he pondered.

Jane let out a short laugh. "Well, good for me I don't let women get to me anymore. I'm here to win, and I couldn't care less for whatever the lady does, as long as she plays fair."

It was the other guy's turn to laugh. He looked at him with a fatherly look in his eyes.

"That's what everybody said before they saw her. But anyway, she might not even be there Thursday, so you might get lucky. No one knows when she'll be there or when she won't. She just comes and goes as she pleases."

"Not that I would care" Jane started lightly "But wouldn't the cashiers know when she'll be there, since there now happens to be a waiting list."

The guy laughed again. "No! No, no. _She_ can come whenever she wants. As I said, she has lured more big whales to this table in a week than normally come by in six months. That's why I think she works for the casino. Keeps things exciting."

Jane shrugged and figured the guy was probably right and that it wouldn't be the craziest _or_ stupidest idea if the manager hired a girl to attract whales. Though the fact that it apparently actually worked, was special, overall he wasn't too impressed by this woman.

He had known his visit to the casino would bring out the worst in him, but thankfully he was still at his best being bad. He impressed himself by managing to sneak a peek at the names of tonight's players, deciding which one was most likely to cheat and setting him up to be banned from the casino by the manager himself – all within two hours. The manager, with whom he now had formed a strong bond of course, couldn't thank him enough for helping him get rid of a fraud. Mr. James just so happened to have a suggestion that would show the manager's appreciation _and_ filled the empty seat at the big table at such a short notice…

Shortly after, Jane found himself sitting at the poker table. The familiar feeling of his fingers playing unconsciously with the poker chips made an ease settle in him he hadn't felt in years. It was something like a spiritual sensation, if he even believed in such a thing, and it almost blocked out the drunken babbling coming from the person next to him.

"I lllitterrralllly can-not _believe_ you managed to get in, tonight..!"

Jane sighed contently, while he waited for the much anticipated woman to arrive. If nothing else, at least tonight would be entertaining. The door opened once more and Jane could almost hear the other guys in the room holding their breath. He shook his head a little bit and smiled to himself. Although he could appreciate a good con, Jane felt it was going to be a good night for him and if that meant destroying the little myth she had created for herself, then so be it.

He heard her enter through the doors behind him and noticed that all the eyes in the room were fixed upon her. She was wearing a bracelet with charms, as he could hear from the tingling. The clicking on the hardwood floor came from her heels, probably stiletto's.

She paused in her steps. Jane wanted to roll his head at her for stalling even more than she already had by being fifteen minutes late. God, she must be loving the attention.

One of the suckers spoke up.

"Good evening, miss…"

Jane decided to intervene.

"Are we here to exchange pleasantries or play poker?" he said with a smile.

He could have sworn he heard her inhale sharply, as if his words had shocked her.

"Alright…" she said and his head shot up. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. His eyes followed her incredulously while she went to sit down opposite to him.

"So let's play."


	2. Chapter 2

Half a World Away - Chapter 2

There she was. Long brown hair, freckled skin, emerald eyes. So familiar and yet so different. Her lips weren't pursed, as he would expect from her in a situation like this. Her eyes didn't shift between him and anywhere else, she didn't squirm under his scrutiny at all.

She wasn't nervous.

He wanted to take in every little detail of her and see what was left of the woman he knew so well. She wore a floppy hat, which he still liked on her, and a beautiful, fashionable dress that was as low cut as the ones he used to choose for her on undercover stings. He noticed she was wearing more make-up and jewelry… His eyes traveled back to her chest and rested on the small glimmering cross that was covered by wavy strands of her hair. Of course it was still there!

Jane couldn't help but show a little smile, but was shaken from his reverie by the mocking words of his neighbor.

"Hey Casanova, stop staring at the lady's chest and place your bet..!"

The men at the table all laughed and Jane quickly checked his cards, though he couldn't care less what those guys thought of him. When he looked back up he saw that she knew it was her necklace he had been looking at. In a sudden flash of nervous insecurity she touched the cross like she used to and it send shivers up Jane's spine.

"That's a tell if I've ever seen one…" his drunk 'friend' mumbled.

The game went on and Jane quickly regained his composure. If only for her sake, since he figured she must have been working undercover. He decided to focus on the game, but tonight, his memory palace seemed to be working against him rather than in his advantage. His mind was flooded by memories of her, of them together. From small things like the ice creams they shared and the car rides to crime scenes, to the moment he accidentally said that he loved her and the time he broke a million laws and nearly his ankle, to be able to say it to her again.

He shouldn't have drank so much tonight. But then again, who would have ever guessed he would run into her, on this evening, at this casino out of every one in the state of Nevada.

While his mind was busy thinking about before, and things like fate and "the heart wants what it wants", he had lost almost half of his money by the time they were taking a short break.

"Not having such a great night, now are you, Casanova?" the guy next to him said as he got up. Jane smiled his casual smile.

"Actually, I am" he said and looked directly at the woman in front of him.

"Yeah, right" the guy said. "Can I get you a drink?" he asked as he poured himself a whiskey.

"I think I'll just stick with water from now on" Jane laughed and excused himself.

He walked over to where the other guys were swarming around the stoic lady, but decided to refrain from making direct contact. Instead, he turned to his friend who seemed to be having trouble just standing up.

Jane poured them each a glass of water. The other guy snorted.

"I guess I should accept it… But don't you think it says a lot that even though I'm totally wasted I'm playing better than you..!" he grinned. Jane smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

The two men drank their water in silence for a moment. Jane glanced over at the woman he knew so well. She was checking her make-up in a small mirror she had fished from her purse.

"I guess she's partly to blame for your misfortune…" the guy commented.

When Jane stayed silent, he continued.

"Told you this would happen… And you all cool 'I don't let women get to me anymore'" he said in a mocking voice. "Look at you now..!" he laughed out loud.

"Yeah yeah yeah, okay, I get it" Jane responded. "I'll do better next time."

The guy was still chuckling slightly. "Yeah, okay, we'll see about that… Hey, I'm Jeff Milne by the way."

As Jane shook his hand, he realized that after he introduced himself, sooner or later he would have some explaining to do.

"Patrick" he responded, and hoped the guy would leave it at that. But he didn't. "James" he continued therefore. "Patrick James."

As he had expected, this drew Lisbon's attention.

"Patrick James huh?" she asked.

Jane kept looking at her without responding.

"That's new" she continued lightly.

"I am new" he said in a serious tone. He wanted nothing more than to touch her, so he extended his hand and hoped she would take it.

She hesitated for a moment but took his hand eventually. Jane smiled his ear-to-ear trademark smile.

"I didn't catch your name..?" he asked somewhat playfully.

She couldn't help but smile.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. James" she said and let go of his hand.

She turned around and walked back to the table.

"The pleasure is all mine" he responded and took his seat again opposite to her.

His eyes stayed glued to her for the rest of the night. He didn't even bother to hide it like the other men at the table. Even without consciously paying attention to the other players, they proved to be no match for Jane, but Lisbon was cleaning him out and Jane loved every minute of it. He knew she had always been talented at playing cards, but she had improved since they had last played. Something was different about her, and he tried his best to find out what. She finally handled herself as the important, mysterious, confident woman he had always thought her to be, but to top that, she seemed to be doing it effortlessly and he would truly doubt that this was an UC-op, if she wasn't the one person he knew best in the world.

So he drank her in. The new things, the familiar things. He felt his heartbeat speed up when she used a certain move he once taught her to use at her old CBI poker club. How could he have ever let her go?

When the night came to an end, Lisbon took the last of his ton worth of chips. He stared down at the table and watched her slender hand collect her winnings. Most of the other guys had already left for the bar or for home. Jane leaned against the table, one arm propped up, while he bit on a nail and tried to hold back the sentimental tears of seeing her again and spending time with her again. She was still _so_ great.

"Dude, you aren't seriously crying over losing the money, are you" Milne joked.

This caused Lisbon to look over at Jane just in time to see one lonely tear escape his eye and roll down his cheek.

Jane tried to smile casually.

"I was just thinking about what I lost…" he said, referring to her love.

"See? I warned ya. But maybe the lady will grant you a return match..?" he asked, more to Lisbon than Jane.

She stayed still for a long time, doubting, deciding, before she nodded.

"Tommorow, your _only_ chance to win your money back" she said sharply and left.


	3. Chapter 3

Half a World Away - Chapter 3

Jane stood in front of the mirror in his hotel room, straightening the jacket of his fanciest suit over the familiar feel of his favorite vest. At the back of his mind, he realized that he was once again all about her. He didn't ask himself if he wanted to win her back, or if he even had the slightest chance of succeeding. He thought of how miraculous it was to see her again and that of all places it had to have been in a casino.

Lisbon hated the gambling con-man side of him when they worked together, yet not as much as most other women would. It excited her, too, to some extent. And it impressed her, more than anything. She would never tell him that, though, and he would never use it as an excuse not to try his best to be better for her.

And even though on paper it shouldn't have worked between them, in reality it had. So when Jane walked over from his hotel room to the casino, he was happily in thought, thinking about the great times they had had together, as friends… and, you know, after that.

He entered the room and four hopeful pairs of eyes landed upon him. He smiled when he saw their disappointment. Casually, he took a seat at the table and joined them in their wait for the sixth player. Though he had planned on staying casual for the rest of the night, the room's anticipation soon rubbed off on him. He straightened his jacket once more. Would she like that he was wearing a vest again?

Some of the guys engaged in some small talk. Milne wasn't in tonight. Good thing, Jane thought. He stole a sideways glance at the door. Still no-one in sight. He rubbed his face. Were his wrinkles more visible than the last time he'd seen her? He had been more relaxed after leaving the FBI, but then again he had also missed her and a good night's sleep _a lot_. He ran a self-conscious hand through his hair and immediately wondered if she would hate his slightly longer curls.

Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore and worried that she might not show up at all, he heard a faint clicking of heels down the hall. Jane took in the sight of her. Her hair in a tight bun, a scarf around her neck. The emeralds in her ears paled in comparison to her eyes. Long, naked legs. Floundering skirt, sleeveless dress, high neckline. Her necklace with the golden cross was covered up tonight.

His nerves seemed to leave him as soon as she stepped into the room.

"Good to see you again" Jane said calmly and smiled, as if they weren't trying to protect their covers and hadn't been separated for over three years. She just smiled at him for a short moment and sat down, focusing on the stack of poker chips she placed on the table.

A small smile played around Jane's lips when he noticed the little tremor in her fingers. Oh how he loved to watch her.

A giddy feeling settled inside him and for the first in a long time Jane actually felt that things were going his way.

As they started to play Texas hold 'em, he felt the overwhelming urge to try to get a reaction out of her. Watching the trembling of her fingers earlier that night had rekindled the old familiar need to push her buttons and make her react to him, much like a schoolboy would pull a girl's hair to get her attention.

So when it was Lisbon's turn to place her bet, he let his gaze linger on her for just a little longer. She didn't blush. Not yet. She focused on her chips and watched the other players. Jane was almost disappointed, when finally she could no longer resist to throw a quick nervous glance in his direction.

Of course she had hoped that he wouldn't have noticed, but she should have known better, so Jane showed his most wicked little smile, which he knew she had seen even though she had looked ahead stoically.

"That's a very beautiful scarf you're wearing today…" he commented and focused all his attention on the silk around her neck.

She looked down at her new accessory, nervous and insecure under all this close attention.

"Thank you" she replied.

Jane just smiled broadly as he noticed the faintest hint of the discomfort she used to show him so often. For a moment, it felt like they were to only people in the room, but then some other guy interfered.

"I can't believe you're complimenting the scarf when the woman wearing it is far more beautiful than any scarf could ever be" he said, thinking it would win Lisbon's affection.

It didn't though. It didn't affect her at all and it was just what she needed to regain her composure again and deal with Jane.

She threw both men an uninterested look and watched the cards on the table.

Jane watched her for a few moments more.

"Don't worry, pal" he said, addressing the other guy while staring straight ahead at Lisbon, "I'm not trying to seduce her. Just rattling her cage a little bit so I can win my money back."

The guy huffed while Lisbon didn't react at all.

That didn't matter. If he knew her at all, he knew he was getting under her skin nonetheless.

As the night continued, Lisbon continued her winning streak and nearly cleaned out half of the other players. Jane, however, won nearly as much as she did. Lisbon made sure though that they hadn't once ended up as the only players in the game left, which annoyed Jane immensely. What did he care for those other fools? He could take them any time of day. The only thing he was interested in was to know all there was to know about the woman in front of him, and the best way to do that would be a one-on-one game of poker. Would he still be able to read her? Could he still beat her at poker? Was he still able to get under her skin?

At long last, he had cornered her. The stakes were high; if she folded this time, Jane would win a great amount of her money and more importantly, he would have a far greater stack of chips in front of him than her. It would end the myth of the unbeatable woman immediately.

Jane guessed she had a better hand than him, though. If he folded now, he would only lose a relatively small amount of the money he had just won back and Lisbon's image would still be intact. It was the safer _and_ nicer option, but those were two things Lisbon knew Jane didn't care much about. So he raised again.

"So this guy thought I should tell you how beautiful you are. But you must know I find you beautiful, so what good would that do me?" Jane mused out loud.

Lisbon matched his raise and kept staring him in the eye. Not with the deadpan look like before, but with those kind, sparkling, bright green eyes that were affecting him more than he should let them.

"What could I say to get under your skin?" he said, musing out loud and obviously enjoying himself.

"You're a mystery to every one of us, and you want to stay mysterious. And I must admit, I can't read you like I could, anymore…"

Jane had meant it like playful teasing, but he paused when he heard the hint of bitterness in his voice. Lisbon blinked. Jane mustered a smile again and continued.

"But then again, you know that with every minute I spend with you I'm figuring out more…"

Lisbon looked at her chips and placed enough of them on the pile in the middle to match Jane's latest raise.

"Call" she said.

Jane smiled a genuine smile now.

He flipped his cards, showing only a pair.

For the first time that evening, he really saw the old Lisbon back. _His_ Lisbon. She smiled ever so content with herself for beating him.

"You do know I intentionally let you win this one, right?" Jane asked, as he always used to do back at the CBI.

She looked up at him, temporarily diverting her attention from collecting the chips, and gave him the smallest of her familiar, semi-scolding smiles. His heart leapt.

During the next few rounds, Jane kept asking her questions that she didn't answer. Where she was staying, what she was hoping to gain from these poker games, what she did on a daily basis and for how long she would be here. In the meantime, he was winning his money back at a faster rate now that most of the remaining players were getting more inebriated by the minute. When he won back exactly the amount he had lost the day before, he gathered his chips and got up.

"Deal me out, will you?" he asked the dealer and got ready to leave.

As he had hoped, she took the bait.

"Why?" Lisbon asked.

Jane acted casual.

"Because, at this point, there is nothing more I can gain from continuing. I've had my rematch, got my money back. At this point, I could either lose it again, which I don't want, or win more of your money, which I'm not interested in either. So, I'm gonna go."

"That's… That's cowardly to say the least..!" she sputtered and Jane had to fight hard to keep the smile of his face. "You've got to give me at least the remainder of the evening to have the chance to take your money for once and for all."

"What's in it for me?" he responded without blinking.

"What do you want?" she asked, equally unmoved.

"A date" he stated immediately.

She laughed out loud and all the men in the room were mesmerized.

"No, that's not gonna happen" she answered.

Jane still kept smiling. "What can you offer?"

"One drink, at the casino bar. You may ask me three questions."

Jane smiled even broader and he swore he saw her breath catch in her throat like old times.

"Give me a dance and I will ask only one."

Lisbon thought about it for a second.

"Deal" she eventually stated and Jane went back to sit at the table.

.

Lisbon lost to Jane, who played better than ever, but still wondered if she might have lost on purpose. He collected the dance later that night. There weren't many people left at the casino bar and he hugged her close to him. He wanted to whisper in her ear and tell her everything he wanted, but he didn't. The song nearly came to an end so Lisbon warned him he still had a question left.

Jane tried his best to sound light instead of wistful.

"So, time for this expensive question then" he started and pretended to think one up right then and there.

He felt nervous, which made it difficult for him to ask the question that had been on his mind ever since he saw her again yesterday. Thankfully, she stayed patiently in his arms even after the song ended. Jane figured it would be easier to ask with her face close to his chest than with her looking him straight in the eye.

"Do you still love me?"

Lisbon backed off.

"Jane…" she stuttered, sounding both annoyed and embarrassed.

Jane kept looking at her with those intense eyes of his. Lisbon regained her composure again.

"Quit fooling around, Jane, I'm in the middle of an investigation..!" she hissed.

Jane decided to act indifferent and jokingly. He smiled his trademark smile, but he knew Lisbon would spot it as a fake since she'd seen his genuine ones.

"Alright, I'm sorry, relax, I was just joking...!"

Lisbon already got ready to leave.

"Yeah well, my predecessor got murdered…" she whispered and took off.

Jane contemplated going after her, maybe even secretly follow her up to her room, but he decided against it. He was _not_ going to keep chasing a woman that kept breaking his heart. He drowned his sorrows at the bar that night and thought back to the last time he had seen her before all this started.

It was just a few short weeks after they first admitted their feelings to each other. They were still working together but people had been watching them more closely. Then one night, Lisbon had enough of him, just as suddenly as she had admitted to loving him. She had tried not to cry while she listed the things that frustrated her and that broke her heart. Although she might just have vented them of the top of her head, he had remembered every exact word in the very same order.

She hated how she would always feel threatened whenever a mysterious, seductive woman came by. She would always keep wondering if he secretly wanted someone like that – someone that she wasn't. She hated how he never showed any effort to please her by cooperating nicely with the team for once. How it was still all about what he felt up to. And she hated that he still only _pretended_ to see her as his equal, while he still treated her as a mark whenever it suited him. He was never going to change. He wasn't boyfriend material. At least not for her. She broke up with him.


End file.
